1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a wand for use in signaling, more specifically to a wand with integrated electronics for use in visual signaling.
2. Description of the Related Art
In various safety or communications settings during the night, lighted wands are used to guide or signal other persons. Common uses of wands include directing traffic in the case of an automobile accident, pedestrian situations such as a forest hike, or directing airplanes at an airport.
At an airport, the aircraft ground handling staff service the aircraft while it is on the ground, direct aircraft into and out of gates, and load or unload cargo from the aircraft. Speed, efficiency, accuracy, and safety are important in ground handling services in order to minimize the time during which the aircraft must remain parked at the gate. Because of this, the individual ground handling staff often perform multiple functions, making devices that are readily available for use when transitioning between tasks more convenient.
A function of the high importance is the process of directing aircraft into and out of the gates. During air marshalling, the aircraft ground handlers visually signal pilots and/or other ground personnel using a combination of hand gestures, arm gestures, and lighting. At the airport, the aircraft marshaller may signal the pilot to turn, keep turning, move forward, slow down, stop, shut down engines, or other signals while directing the aircraft to the gate or runway.
Sometimes, the aircraft ground handlers keep a pair of marshalling wands at their waist throughout their shift, meaning that the wands are subject to frequent impact, prematurely shortening their lifespan. The alternative is to the leave the marshalling wands at a fixed location and then retrieving them as needed. However, this can cause delays in ability to marshal the aircraft. The knowledge of state of the available power in the wand is also more at risk when the wands are not controlled by a single person.
The marshalling wands are often shared among handlers, with no single handler being responsible for maintaining the device, thus the battery life is important. Moreover, the marshalling wands are subjected to harsh treatment, which shortens their useful life.
For the above reasons, it would be advantageous to provide a wand with integrated electronics which enables readily access, consumes minimal power, and withstands common impacts within the environment.